3 Important Things To Know About Sleep Apnea

Living your life with sleep apnea without the proper treatment for it can be deadly, yet it is very easy to treat in most cases. If you believe you might have sleep apnea, you do not even need to talk to your doctor about it. Instead, talk to your dentist at your next checkup. Your dentist can help you determine if you have it, why you should not ignore it, and how to treat it.

1. Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

The most common symptom of sleep apnea is snoring. If you are a heavy snorer, this could likely mean that you may have this condition; however, many people who snore do not suffer from sleep apnea. If you have sleep apnea, you may also feel tired all the time. When you wake up in the morning, it might feel like you did not get a good night's sleep, and you may feel this day after day. You might also feel irritable and have trouble concentrating on things. You might also feel drowsy anytime you sit still during the day.

2. Reasons You Should Not Ignore It

Ignoring sleep apnea is not a good idea, simply because sleep apnea is hard on your body. It is extremely hard on your heart, too. When you have this condition, you will actually stop breathing each night when you are in bed sleeping. Some people will stop breathing just a few times each night, while others can stop breathing dozens or hundreds of times.

Every single time this occurs while you sleep, you are placing a lot of extra stress on your heart, simply because your heart reacts to this by pumping harder than it ought to. This is just a natural response of the heart when the brain detects you are not breathing. Because of this, you are putting yourself at a higher risk for heart problems if you do not treat your sleep apnea.

3. Ways to Treat It

With sleep apnea, there are several good treatments, but the easiest treatment option is to wear a night guard while you sleep. This device gives your throat a little extra space so that it does not close up and cause you to stop breathing. When you wear this, your risks of heart problems greatly decrease.

If you think this is a condition you might be living with, you should talk to your dentist to learn more about diagnosing it and treating it. Contact a dental office like Jerry C Hu DDS Family Dentistry LLC for more information and assistance.